Apidictor Article From Bee Craft By Eddie Woods

APIDICTOR

My old friend John Head is quite correct in his diagnosis of Miss Stockwin's complaint. Pick-up of radio is quite common on deaf-aids, and similar appliances. Even Hi-Fi sound equipments are not immune, as I know from bitter experience. In fact, the better the equipment, the more likely is it to be subject to interference. However, we thank Miss Stockwin, and are incorporating our standard modification to cope with this problem. In a recent test, at a distance of about a quarter of a mile from the Sutton Coldfield transmitter, no extraneous pick-up was discernible.

The manufacturers will be pleased to hear from any other user who has experienced this or any other difficulty; and will make the necessary modifications.

Whilst on the subject of Apidictors, I would like to mention that we have approximately two hundred instruments in the field. With this number of owners, we are beginning to obtain reactions to the application of electronics to beekeeping.

As a bee-keeper of thirty years' experience, and a sound engineer for fifty years, marginal problems which were to me of no significance, became important to the average bee-keeper, to whom electronics itself may be a novelty.

In instructing my designers, I recognised that these problems exist, and took steps to ensure that they were minimised. However, it has transpired that in a small number of instances, such as that of Miss Stockwin, these steps were not completely satisfactory, and obviously I am anxious that all who showed confidence in my judgment should be completely satisfied. The design is sufficiently flexible to permit of simple modifications, which will obviate the occasional shortcomings we have become aware of.

We are now circulating all our clients to ensure that they are brought up to date with the latest information. However, I am most gratified to have reports of successful use of the instrument. One of the most impressive occurred when one purchaser complained that the instrument was "over-enthusiastic". Our representative visited him and checked and predicted that seventeen out of twenty colonies in one apiary contained queen cells, even specifying the stage of development of the cells, a test which required only a few minutes. The manual examination, requiring hours, showed that indeed, the situation was as predicted. The three colonies which the instrument showed no swarm preparations were found to be clear.

On June 18, another member of the firm, a non bee-keeper, tested in about fifteen minutes a sixty-colony apiary, during a gale of wind, most unfavourable conditions, and diagnosed sealed queen cells (but swarm delayed by weather), several swarmed colonies, some queenless, and one drone-breeder, all of which the owner either confirmed, or which were checked as correct immediately. This test took place in the apiary of a purchaser, to whom the particular Apidictor was delivered just before, and who had asked to be instructed in its use.

I am also reminded of an experience at Aldershot some years before with an obsolete instrument. I was asked to demonstrate on two colonies, which the owner stated to be "clear". The weather at the time was fairly typical of summer, a violent thunderstorm. The diagnosis was: one colony a few days from swarming, the other superseding. All present professed disbelief, but a summer parasol was erected, and, in opening up the hives, both colonies were found to be exactly as Apidicted.

We will be exhibiting at the Royal Show this month, and will be pleased to meet interested bee-keepers.

E. F. WOODS,